Bubbling with wit, stellar performances and lavish cinematography, Moliere stars multi-Cesar-nominated French actor Romain Duris as Moliere, a down-and-out actor-cum-playwright up to his ears in debt. When the wealthy Jourdain (Cesar-winner Fabrice Luchini) offers to cover that debt (so that Moliere's theatrical talents might help Jourdain win the heart of a certain widowed marquise), hilarity ensues. Disguised as a priest, Moliere becomes a guest in Jourdain's palace on the pretext of teaching Jourdain the craft of the stage, which annoys his wife, Elmire. But, soon after, the confrontation between Elmire and Moliere turns seductive. Too busy to notice, Jourdain enlists the aid of a well connected and scheming acquaintance, to help him pursue the young widow. Romantic yearning, human foibles and laughs galore all characterize Moliere, a delightful film that slyly captures your heart.

"An extravagant and thoroughly irresistible story of intrigue, romance, comedy and artistic inspiration.Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post"Witty, enjoyable costume drama imagines formative episode in life of French comedy giant.Bernard Besserglik, The Hollywood Reporter

Editor's Note

Moliere, the French 17th century playwright behind THE MISANTHROPE and TARTUFFE, gets his SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE treatment in this entertaining romantic comedy-drama. Director Laurent Tirard paints a romantic portrait of the artist as a young man that's a deft mix of fact and fiction, involving wealthy buffoon Jourdain (Fabrice Luchini) who enlists Moliere's help to woo the icy Marquise Celimene (SWIMMING POOL's Ludivigne Sagnier). Jourdain's neglected wife (Laura Morante) regards Moliere's presence in their manor with suspicion (he's posing as a religious scholar). The callow Moliere finds himself drawn to Madame, despite her doubts, and she to him, especially when he helps her in aiding the forbidden romance of her daughter. Backed by a robust orchestral score, sumptuous period detail, and plenty of pratfall-suffused romantic entanglements (lifted from Moliere's plays), the movie bravely steps outside its dramatic outline to become a moving meditation on the meaning of love as selflessness, in the best French tradition of intellectual and romantic discourse. Romain Duris (THE BEAT MY HEART SKIPPED) is endearingly mangy as Moliere, but it's Morante who scores highest, playing yet another in Gallic cinema's many celebrated sexy, intelligent older women. It's in French with English subtitles.

Professional Reviews

Sight and Sound "As Moliere, Romain Duris carries the film almost effortlessly....Laura Morante is equally compelling as his lover Elmire." 07/01/2007 p.64

Total Film 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] wildly impressive French frolic....Both a glittering showcase for a literary giant's comic genius and a first-class farce in its own right. By turns funny, mysterious, suffering and sexy." 07/01/2007 p.42

Reel.com 10 of 10By turns elegant and earthy, Laurent Tirard's Moliere is a buoyantly witty and wise seriocomic gem, blending fact and speculation to sparkling effect. Tirard's follow-up to his 2004 directorial debut, The Story of My Life, avoids the narrative pitfalls of the conventional biopic to craft an ingenious and unexpectedly moving portrait of the 17th century satirist, similar in theme and spirit to Shakespeare in Love (1998). Leaving all trace of his surly performance in The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) behind, rising French star Romain Duris proves himself to be a nimble farceur in the title role of Tirard's film, a sophisticated tonic for viewers weary of special effects-driven sequels and crass slapstick comedies...Moliere belongs to Duris, who throws himself, often literally, into the demanding role with disarming abandon. While he's no stranger to comedy (L'Auberge Espagnole), Duris gives a superb, full-bodied performance that's nothing short of a revelation in Moliere, one of the year's best films to date. - Tim Knight

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